


Rome

by Lupin111



Category: Queer as Folk (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, M/M, community: qaf_giftxchnge
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-10
Updated: 2016-02-10
Packaged: 2018-05-19 12:23:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5967322
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lupin111/pseuds/Lupin111
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Originally written for the Christmas QAF Gift Exchange 2013 on Livejournal. </p><p>Gift Request: Fic. AU, angst maybe?, lots of sexual tension/chemistry. tattoo artist Justin. Brian comes in for a back piece (or whatever)....could even be a giant set of wings ;) Why Brian is getting the tattoo is up to you. [I'd imagine he'd have to be there for multiple sittings]</p><p>Other Specifications: some making out/body worship would be nice, but PWP definitely NOT a requirement....what whatever you're comfortable with. Could speak to the ink on Justin's body as well.</p><p>Written for : mander3_swish</p><p>Beta: Xrifree</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mander3_swish](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mander3_swish/gifts).



> Author's original message: I hope this is close to what you wanted. I didn’t think it would be so hard to start writing again, but it was, and I struggled and missed about four deadlines. I hope the story is somewhere in the vague area of what you expected. If it is, I will do an angst-filled Part Two/extended epilogue. Merry Christmas, and I wish you all the very, very best for 2014. May it be full of wonder, joy and magic.

_Christmas-time_

 

“It’s a super slow day, Cody. Two cancellations and no walk-ins,” Justin groused. He turned up the volume on the radio, and then stretched. Then he glared at Cody, who was technically Justin’s boss, seeing as how he owned and managed the tattoo parlour and body piercing studio where Justin worked as a tattoo artist.

“Well, it’s almost 4.30 now. You have a customer due in twenty minutes. Are you still whining because I made you come in this morning?” Cody didn’t bother looking up from what he was doing, which looked to Justin like the daily crossword. Or maybe he was circling the adult classifieds.

Justin sighed, walking back to the counter where he was working on a design. Cody looked up from the sofa he was on, at the front of the store.

“Justin, would you quit that?”

“I just don’t understand why I had to be here _all_ morning, to mind an empty shop.”

“ _Parlour._ This is a tattoo parlour, not a _shop_.”

“Touché.”

“Fuck, you are in _some_ mood today.” Cody put down the newspaper. “Look, don’t you need the money? And the distraction?”

“I _always_ need a distraction.”

“Justin, you are in charge of tattoos. You do it better than all of us. You _know_ people come here for your designs. I don’t pay you more than anyone else so you can sit at home at and stare out the window.”

“Yes well, this morning’s bookings were for Shelly, _and_ they all cancelled.”

“Shelly’s a fucking cunt,” Cody stated. 

“She still works here, so cunt or…worse than cunt, _she’s_ the one who should’ve been here.”

“Not any more she doesn’t. I caught her taking money from the cash register last night. She’s lucky I didn’t rearrange her face. She looks like a pit-bull anyway, it would’ve been a favour. I told her to get the fuck out, and that if she ever came anywhere near here again, I’d put a bullet between her eyes and throw her body into the river.” 

“Jesus fuck, why didn’t you tell me? Did you call the cops?” Justin was secretly glad. He had always loathed Shelly.

Cody rolled his eyes. “Do you really want the cops snooping around here? And I would’ve told you. Eventually. At the same time I would’ve told you that you’re going to have to pick up all her clients this week, since Matt is on vacation until next Monday. And then we’ll split them until I find a replacement.” 

“Why do _I_ have to do all of them? You _are_ a tattoo artist too, you know.”

“Yes, but I don’t like her shit designs, and I can’t be bothered to tweak them. Plus, I’m moving this week, remember? I don’t have the time.” 

“Just find a decent replacement, please. No more heroin-snorting, new-agey, chi-balancing, pseudo-intellectual, fake artists.”   

“Oh, do tell us what you _really_ think of her,” Cody sing-songed. “I knew your mood would improve once the good news set in. What are you doing?” He asked, as Justin started printing some designs. 

“I’m going to improve her designs for next week, once I finish what I’m working on.” Justin would rather get a root canal than have to use Shelly’s designs to disfigure some poor sap with no taste. “Anyway, sorry for bitching about today. It’s just that I was supposed to see Dr. Lai, and now I had to reschedule it for Saturday. And his assistant bitched endlessly about cutting it so close to Christmas and all.” Justin concentrated on the design that he was presently perfecting, even while he spoke.

At that, Cody looked up. “Dr.Lai? Your therapist? You don’t need a fucking shrink, Justin.” 

Justin grimaced. “Feel free to tell that to my parole officer.”

“He’s a dick.” 

“You can tell him that as well.” Truth be told, Justin didn’t really mind his parole officer as a person. However, the fact that he _had_ a parole officer was a huge thorn in his side.

“Are you guys open?” 

“So says the sign on the door.” Justin didn’t bother looking up at the male voice. Anyone who asked that was coming out of curiosity, not for a real tattoo or piercing.

“My, aren’t we friendly for an empty store.” 

Justin still did not look up. “ _Parlour._ This is a tattoo _parlour_ , not a _store_.”

“Excuse him, he has Tourette’s.” Cody interjected. “How can I help you?”

Justin sighed, and finally looked up. He had to try very hard to not have his jaw drop open. Three men had walked into the store, but it was the tallest of them, a brunette, who caught his attention. The face of god. That was it. This man had the face of god. A Greek god, not a Judeo-Christian god. And likely, the body of a Greek god underneath his impeccably tailored suit. He vaguely noted two other men hovering about.

“Brian Kinney,” the man introduced himself to Cody. “I have to get a tattoo. I did some research and you guys are supposed to be one of the best.”

“And I have a friend who’s been here before.” One of the other men piped up. He was the shortest of the three, and had an open, friendly face. He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket. “I’m Michael. My friend, Brad, he said that there’s a Justin Taylor here, who’s supposed to be fabulous.”

“Uh…I’m Justin Taylor.”

Brian, the tall brunette raised his eyebrows, and looked at Cody. “Do _you_ do tattoos? I have to get one.” he repeated. “How long will it take?”

Justin bristled. “You don’t _have_ to get a tattoo. You _have_ to get a vaccination shot. Or pay a parking ticket. You get a tattoo because you _want_ to.”

“Justin…” Cody’s voice held a note of warning. “The Tourette is especially strong today” he told the three men with a smile. “We both do tattoos, as well as piercings. How long it takes depends on your design.”

“It’s not a design, just a phrase,” the shorter man – Michael - supplied. “No apologies, no regrets.”

Cody nodded. “What’s the size? Where do you want it?”

“My forearm.”

“The wrist,” Michael and the other man declared in unison.

Brian rolled his eyes. “ _Fine_ , my wrist.”

“Are you _sure_ you want a tattoo?” Justin asked dubiously. “It’s permanent, you know. If you’re so disinterested in it, perhaps you shouldn’t be getting one. Hair styles and $900 suits are things you can chase after because it’s the latest style. Hair will grow back and you can always buy new clothes. A tattoo is forever.”

“Did I ask you for your opinion?” Brian retorted.

“We provide a responsible service. That includes appropriately advising customers who have no idea what they’re doing.” Justin prissily replied.

The door opened.

“Hi Justin!”

“Hey Sean, you’re a bit early.” Justin smiled in relief as his client walked in. The tension of dealing with the increasingly annoying (and attractive) Brian was starting to get to him. “All ready?” Sean was a big, muscular man. He had wanted tattoos on both his arms, in memory of his two brothers, who had been killed in Iraq. His work was mostly finished; today was the last sitting, to add some final finishing touches.

“Man, am I excited! People already think it’s amazing, and it isn’t even finished! Mac and Joe would’ve loved it,” Sean responded enthusiastically.

The three men looked on curiously.

“I tweaked the design a little bit; I wanted the outer frame to complement the colours inside. Look.” Justin pulled the design from underneath the counter, and spread it out. Not just Sean, but Brian, Michael and the other man also came to the counter to have a look.

“Instead of the outline being in green, I think it’ll be better to have it in this blue. It’s softer, plus it blends in with the flag. But we can stick to the original, if you prefer.”

“Blue. Definitely blue,” Sean said.

“Fuck…that’s really good,” Brian said.

“Blue it is, then.” Justin smiled at Sean. “Why don’t you go on inside and get ready? I’ll be right with you.” Unwillingly, his good breeding came to the fore. He looked at Brian. “Thank you.”

Brian smiled at him for the first time.

Something inside Justin did a turn. He smiled back at Brian vaguely. There was no point getting gooey-eyed over a customer; especially one who seemed so well-heeled.

“Maybe you _should_ do my tattoo,” Brian said, and then he glanced at Cody. “No offence.”

Cody shrugged and smiled. “None taken. Justin _is_ the best.”

Brian looked back at the design that was done for Sean. “You know, something like this…I would be happy with that. This intricate and…artistic.”

“If you tell me what you’re looking for, I can come up with a design. But the wrist…that is a bit limiting in terms of space, unless you want to work it up your arm. Plus, my client is waiting, so I can’t have that discussion with you right now. Perhaps you can make an appointment with Cody for a consult? We don’t charge for those.” For some reason, Justin didn’t want to spend any more time with this man. His good looks were disconcerting, and Justin did not like the feeling of unbalance that the man inspired in him. Besides, his past experience warned him to stay away from men he found attractive, even if he came across them in the heart of Liberty Village.

Brian snorted. “Believe me, money is not an issue. Time, however, is. Aren’t you free any time today?”

“Well…”

“How long will you take with Sean?” Cody asked.

“An hour, and then I have to clean up. I’ll be free in another one and a half, maybe two hours.”

“Brian, we could go to Woody’s, grab a couple of beers, maybe play some pool, and then come back,” the as-of-yet unidentified third man suggested.

“ _You_ play pool. I can think of more entertaining activities for myself. We’ll be back in two hours.”

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

 

This story archived at <http://www.midnightwhispers.ca/viewstory.php?sid=3410>


	2. Chapter 2

Michael seemed fascinated by the various designs, art posters and tattoo ideas that were lying about.

“Oh my god, look at this, it’s…wow, it’s amazing. If _I_ ever got a tattoo, that’s what I’d get.” 

“Not one of Captain Astro?” Brian snorted.

“Shut up. Well, something _like_ this, anyway. Justin, did you…uh, did you draw this?” Michael asked. 

Justin had just finished cleaning up, after Sean left. It was entirely unnecessary, but he even changed his sweater to a short-sleeved t-shirt. It was warm enough inside the store, he reasoned to himself.

He looked at what Michael was pointing at – it was a drawing of a made-up superhero that had been done a few years ago. Justin snickered internally. _All_ superheroes were made up.

“Actually, that was kind of a collaboration with someone who used to work here – Kevin.”

“Did he go to a competitor? Does that happen often in…in your industry?” Ted, the third person Brian and Michael had come in with, finally spoke. 

“He’s in jail,” Justin tersely replied. “Brian, why don’t you take a seat right here and we can talk about your design.”

“ _Jail?”_ Michael squeaked. Ted looked slightly pale. Brian raised an eyebrow, but didn’t say anything. 

“Jail,” Cody repeated, matter-of-factly. “Aggravated assault.  Once you’re done, Justin, why don’t you go for a break?”

“Uh-huh. Will do.”

“That’s an awesome tattoo you’ve got. You must be very religious.” Michael was looking at the tattoo of the Madonna and baby Jesus that took up Cody’s entire left arm.

It was Cody’s turn to smile tersely. “Yes, it _is_ very well done.”

Neither Cody nor Justin mentioned that the symbolism had nothing at all to do with religion, and everything to do with how highly Cody was valued in prison.

“You’ll probably find these interesting,” Justin said, and handed some artworks to Michael, distracting him. 

“Do _you_ have any tattoos? You must.” Brian’s eyes worked their way up and down Justin.

Justin wanted to say something, but it was difficult to speak under Brian’s scrutiny. The other man’s look implied a lot more than mere curiosity, and his inviting smile did not help matters. This was not a good sign at all.

Justin cleared his throat.

“No, I don’t have any tattoos. So. ‘No apologies, no regrets’. I could do something quite elaborate, something to work around the phrase, on your arm. Definitely not the wrist, though. If you want it on the wrist, then it has to be simple. You pick a font and a colour, and I can fine-tune it, and that’s about it. Something on the wrist _has_ to be simple.”

“I don’t want simple. I want the most elaborate, fucking spectacular tattoo that anyone’s going to see on Liberty Avenue. A tattoo that’s as jaw-dropping as I am. If that’s possible.” Brian looked at Justin suggestively.

Justin burst out laughing. “I can assure you, any design that I come up with will be better looking than you.” 

“Really? You think I’m hot. I can tell. So that’s a lot of bravado, hmmm?”

 _Oh great,_ Justin thought. Egotistical as well as devastatingly hot. “My work speaks for itself. I could do a portrait of you, and the portrait would look better than you.” 

“We’re very cocky, aren’t we?” Brian moved his face closer to Justin’s. “Are you this confident in… _other_ areas as well?”

Justin could feel the hairs at the back of his neck stand up. He moved back. 

“What we are, is very busy. Can we please get back to the tattoo? Here are a few designs I’ve done…some are abstract and some are more…traditional.” Justin shoved papers at Brian and moved away even further. “Give me an idea of the kind of work you like, and the colours. Obviously, I’m not going to give you the same design, but it’ll give me an idea of the style you prefer, and avoid wasting everyone’s time.”

That seemed to get Brian back on track, because he started focusing on the reason he was there.

 

* * *

 

 

“You know who he is, right?”

“Wrong,” Justin replied. “Who is ‘he’?” 

Brian & Co. had left, and Justin and Cody were cleaning the place up and getting ready to close, after having dealt with a few more customers.

“That’s Brian Kinney.” 

“Is he a cop?”

“Boy, are you paranoid. He’s that Brian that sleeps around with anything that move. You know, the fellow Mark was talking about.”

“The guy who hunts at that club down Liberty Avenue?” Justin felt his heart sink to his feet. He had so enjoyed their conversation while they had discussed Brian’s tattoo. He had gathered that Brian was an ad-man, but hadn’t put two and two together.

Naturally. The one man who had got his pulse moving in years, the person who was so attractive that Justin could barely keep his composure, had to be pitched way outside of his league in nineteen different ways.

Cody continued heedlessly. “I saw the way you looked at him.”

“You’re delusional.”

“Careful, Justin. Of all the men you want to get entangled with, the kind who’ll fuck you and leave you shouldn’t be high up on your list. Plus, that other guy? Michael? His mother runs the Liberty Diner – and she’s dating an actual cop.” 

“How the fuck do you know all this?”

“Really? Did you just ask me that?” 

Justin shrugged, as if to say ‘never mind’. It was Cody’s business to know what went on in the neighbourhood, who was who, and especially to know what the police hot spots were. It was easier to stay out of unwanted trouble that way. “I’m not interested, don’t worry.”

“Good. Because he’ll fuck with your head after he’s done fucking your ass. If you ever get that far. I’m pretty sure that ex-cons are not on the top of his ‘fuckable guys’ list.” 

Justin laughed mirthlessly. “Yup. Heaven forbid that I beat _him_ with a baseball bat as well.” It was true. Most men he knew didn’t particularly want to hang out with a fellow that had killed his former lover, no matter how good his ass may be. “I’m done. I’m going home to be miserable on my own. See you tomorrow.”

 

* * *

 

 

Of _course_ it was impossible. He was an ex-convict, out on parole due to a rare stroke of good luck. A nameless nobody, without friends or family or a future. All he had was his talent, and arguably good looks. That may be enough to crawl his way across the vast abyss that was his life, but not enough to have a relationship with someone, to belong to a family, or have more than Cody for a friend. 

Maybe…maybe Brian Kinney was actually perfect for him. A man who looked like a god, and treated his sexual partners like used Kleenex. There was no denying that Justin was insanely attracted to Brian; what could the harm be in having sex with a man who wasn’t even interested in his name, let alone his past? Perhaps sex with a man who could get his pulse going after years was the perfect Christmas gift Justin could give himself.

Justin sighed. Thinking was way more difficult than just being depressed. Perhaps he could present this situation to his therapist, and they’d finally have something to discuss.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

 

This story archived at <http://www.midnightwhispers.ca/viewstory.php?sid=3410>


	3. Chapter 3

"So, is this your full-time job?”

“Yup,” Justin answered shortly. Brian had conveniently called earlier, saying that he was running late. He had come in to see the design just before closing time. Even Cody had left for the evening by the time Brian turned up. Justin had repeatedly told Brian that they might be closed by the time he came, because Justin did _not_ want to be alone with Brian. But one thing or another kept cropping up, and here he was, still puttering about when Brian had walked in.

“What time do you close?” Brian continued questioning him, and Justin continued to deflect all questions that were personal. 

“So, Brian. Do you like them? The designs, that is.”

Justin saw Brian smirk, but he was decent enough to focus on the question at hand. “I wasn’t expecting more than one.” Cody had specifically told him not to overdo it, but it was advice Justin had not heeded. Brian continued. “I like this one. It’s…fabulous. Exactly what I wanted. You did it for the right arm, correct?” 

“Yeah…I noticed that you wearing that shell bracelet on your left…I wanted to balance the accessories.”

“You noticed that, huh?” 

The smirk, again.

More ignoring was in order. 

“I was thinking about what you wanted…and…I know that it’s gone from forearm to wrist, back to forearm…but, when I was doing those designs, I thought, the place for the ‘most elaborate, fucking spectacular tattoo’ is not on an arm. With that in mind,” Justin reached over to pull out the design that he hadn’t shown Brian thus far, “I came up with _this._ Across your shoulders.”

“ _Jesus_. This. _This_ is…this it. I want this.” Brian was transfixed, staring at the design that he had picked up. 

“Are you sure? I mean, it’s going to be pretty big, across your back…you _did_ come in wanting something really small and simple and on your arm…”

“Fuck it. I want _this._ I’d have to be goddamn insane to look at this and not get it done.”

Justin knew that his work was good, but he never expected Brian to be so impressed, or so certain.

“You have a beautiful smile.” 

He hadn’t realized it, but for the first time since he met Brian – in fact, for the first time in months - Justin was smiling. A proper, genuine smile. In fact, he was pretty much beaming.

He tried to dim the smile, but wasn’t very successful. 

Brian reached out and lightly ran his fingers down Justin’s face.

“Beautiful.” 

His touch was electric. Justin felt a strange sensation run through him. He wanted to do nothing more than to lean forward and kiss Brian.

But that was a road that he wasn’t allowed to walk down. 

He took a step back.

Brian raised his eyebrow quizzically. 

“I…I…I need to redo the design…the size…I mean…to scale…to fit…”

“Uh-huh. I think I got it.” Brian gave Justin a cross between a smirk and a smile. He started unbuttoning his shirt. 

_Oh, this was not good. Not good at all._

“You don’t have to…I can manage…the way you are…” Justin mumbled incoherently. 

Obviously an expert at stripping, Brian had already taken his shirt off.

Justin turned his back on Brian, pretending to get the things he needed. Every man he had been with since Chris Hobbs, had been out of necessities borne of his situation. None of it had been because he was attracted to those men. Ever since Chris turned on him, almost killing him… 

And now, here he was, being inexplicably drawn to exactly the kind of person he should be staying away from.

Why should a future full of disappointment stop him from enjoying this, Justin wondered. Wasn’t Brian – a man who fucked and left people as a habit – perfect for him? There would be no need for the truth with him. All Justin would have to do is follow Brian’s playbook. 

Justin faced Brian, sans any of the equipment that he was supposedly looking for.

If Brian had said anything while Justin had been fumbling about, he clearly hadn’t heard it. 

It may have been years, but Justin was fairly certain that he could do this.

He lightly ran his fingers across Brian’s shoulder, his breath kissing the other man’s skin. 

Brian quietly moaned.

Justin followed that by tracing shapes on Brian’s back with his tongue, ever so slowly. His hands worked their way around Brian’s waist, and found their way into the gap between waist-band and skin. 

Brian’s hands covered Justin’s, and slowly pulled him up and around to face Brian.

They seemed to stare at each other for the longest time, faces so close, each breath exhaled by one being breathed in by the other. Their eyes were locked, moving closer and closer even as their bodies were still. 

No thought was possible under that spell.

After what seemed like an eternity, Brian moved without moving, his lips softly claiming Justin’s. A kiss that was soft at first, and then started gaining in an intensity and urgency that seemed to control both of them. They kissed forever and a day, breaking only for seconds of deep moans and short, raspy gulps of air. 

Nothing in Justin’s life had prepared him for a kiss like that. If all he got in his entire life was that kiss, Justin knew that he would die happy. It had all the electricity, the magic and passion that had only come to him in dreams.

Brian pulled away from Justin slowly. 

“Come with me. Let’s go to my place.”

Justin took a deep breath.

This was his chance to let sanity return. To walk away with a few amazing moments, and not open himself up to any more danger, any hurt, any risk. 

Brian bent down, slowly nuzzling his neck. “Well? Are you coming?” he whispered.

There was no point in delaying the inevitable. 

Justin smiled.

All roads lead to Rome.

 

**THE END**

 

 

 

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters and settings are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

 

 

This story archived at <http://www.midnightwhispers.ca/viewstory.php?sid=3410>

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes and no.
> 
> That *is* how the original story ended, and I don't want to change it, just because I am publishing it years later. It was meant to leave a lot of questions in the air, and for readers to come to their own conclusions they felt that the story implied, such as, what happened to Brian and Justin afterwards, what was Justin's backstory and how did he wind up in prison, why did Brian need a tattoo, etc. The story was/is meant to be ambiguous.
> 
> I was going in and out of a severe depression while writing this back in 2013, and that feeling of an unknown next dawn - an unexpected high or the usual low - was what the ending was meant to mirror.
> 
> BUT. For everyone who is deeply unsatisfied with the way this story ends, there is a sequel. A slightly longer sequel that explores past and future, and answers questions left unanswered. Though written a whole 2 years after this story, the sequel stays utterly faithful to what happened in this story, and the backstory that was set-up here.
> 
> The sequel is called 'Atlantis', it is complete and I will post it soon.


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